Cholera outbreak claims four lives in Adamawa

Five cases of mpox confirmed in Plateau

Cholera outbreak has claimed four lives in Yola North Local Council of Adamawa State, while 40 others are receiving treatment. This was as the Plateau State Government disclosed that five confirmed cases of monkeypox (mpox) were treated and discharged.

Chairman of Yola North, Jibril Ibrahim, who confirmed the cases, said five new cases were recorded between September 4 and 15, 2024, from the local council’s Alkalawa, Ajiya and Limawa wards. “The total number of confirmed cases stands at 40, with four fatalities,” he said.

Ibrahim added that health officials closely monitored the situation, and samples collected from the outbreak tested positive for Vibrio cholera 01 serotype at Yola Specialist Hospital.

He urged the state government for swift intervention to contain the spread while calling for community cooperation with health workers, who had begun house-to-house visits to raise awareness and prevent further cases.

“We need immediate support from the state government and collaboration from the people of Yola North to help health workers in their efforts to control this outbreak,” said Ibrahim.

The Commissioner for Health in Plateau, Dr Cletus Shurkuk, explained that two suspected cases of mpox were reported to the ministry and were transferred to Abuja for confirmation.

According to him, as a control measure, when the two cases were reported to them, as they did not have the facilities for testing, they had to be transferred to Abuja for confirmation.

Of the two new specimens taken to Abuja, according to the health commissioner, the one that tested positive was treated and discharged.

Similar cases of infection, he added, had been treated in Jos. Shurkuk stated that they were always worried about the disease because it could be transferred from person to person.

According to the commissioner, common symptoms of mpox include rash, which lasts for four weeks, followed by fever, headache, low energy, swollen glands, muscle aches and back pain.

The disease, he said, spreads mainly through close contact with an infected person, like skin-to-skin contact, sexual intercourse, or kissing.